Stocks to watch, April 17: Mastek, Wipro, VST Ind, Va Tech Wabag, HDFC Life, RVNL, Jio Finance

Its consolidated net profit stood at ₹93.76 crore in the quarter ended on March 31, 2025, according to an exchange filing.

Revenue from operations stood at ₹1,102.40 crore in the March quarter of FY26 against ₹476.58 crore in the last quarter of FY25.

The dip in profit comes against the backdrop of a challenging macroeconomic environment, which Wipro CEO and MD Srini Pallia described during the earnings call as the "new normal" marked by geopolitical and policy disruptions, though he noted that overall IT spending has shown resilience.

Wipro’s board has also approved a mega ₹15,000 crore share repurchase programme, proposing to buy back more than 5% of its equity, or up to 60 crore shares, from shareholders at ₹250 per share.

The share buyback price reflects a premium of around 18% over Thursday's closing price of ₹210.20 per share on BSE.

"Supported by its natural landscape and improving accessibility, Dirang is witnessing growing demand from both leisure travellers and adventure enthusiasts. The signing of Gateway Dirang reflects IHCL's focus on pioneering new and emerging destinations, and we are delighted to partner with Phurpa Tsering for this project," IHCL Executive Vice President of Real Estate and Development, Suma Venkatesh, said in a statement.

With the addition of this hotel, IHCL will have 21 hotels in the North East, including 12 under development.

The agreement with NARCL, finalised on April 9, gave the company a three-year window to stabilise operations and avoid a distress sale of core assets, they said.

The company officials told PTI that management will again explore the induction of a strategic partner and the sale of tea garden assets in India and Africa.

In 2023, talks between McLeod and Carbon Resources for a strategic partnership had failed.

In February, the Board of Directors of PTC India approved the bifurcation of the combined post of Chairman & Managing Director into two distinct positions — Chairman (non-executive) and Managing Director (executive), a regulatory filing said.

"We would like to inform you that the Board of Directors of the Company, in their meeting held on 16th April 2026, has appointed Sukhdev Singh, an existing Independent Director, as Non-Executive Chairman of the Company with effect from the date of receipt of consent of CMDs of all four promoter companies, for a period till the completion of his existing tenure as an Independent Director, i.e., up to 10th November 2028," it stated.

The deal will also lead to associated services for the Indian armed forces, an official statement said.

Mumbai-based Paras Defence and Space Technologies has entered into an agreement with US-based Bandak Aviation Inc., DBA Northstar, according to the statement issued by the Indian firm.

"The agreement focuses on the supply and support of Northstar’s advanced products, including air-to-air refuelling systems and related accessories. In addition, this will lead to associated services for the Indian armed forces," it said.

The company had incurred a net loss of ₹74.47 crore in the January-March period a year ago, according to a regulatory filing from Alok Industries, jointly owned by Reliance Industries and JM Financial Asset Reconstruction.

Revenue from operations was up 3.14 per cent year-on-year to ₹982.97 crore during the period under review. Total expenses were down 1.42% to ₹1,189.20 crore. Total income, which also includes other income, was down 4.07% to ₹995.83 crore.

In the entire FY26, net loss narrowed to ₹744.11 crore from ₹816.43 crore a year earlier. Total income was marginally down to ₹3,789 crore.

About the possible impact of ongoing geopolitical tensions in West Asia on the company's FY27 performance, Ashok Leyland President-LCV, IO, Defence & Power Solutions, Amandeep Singh, said it's "too early" to assess, though the underlying economic momentum in India remains strong.

He added that there can be some disruption due to 'shortage and logistics' issues from the impact of the West Asian disruption but said the situation is expected to 'bounce back' quickly.

The company said it is not aware of any sewage treatment plant (STP) project worth over ₹600 crore in Saudi Arabia where it has been declared the lowest bidder, as reported in the media.

On a separate report related to a Kuwait project, VA Tech Wabag clarified that a joint venture between the company and HEISCO had submitted the lowest bid of KD 114.28 million for a desalination plant, as notified by the customer on August 6, 2025. However, the company added that it is still awaiting the Letter of Award (LoA) for the project.

The company further stated that since no order has been officially awarded, there was no requirement to disclose the development under Regulation 30 of the SEBI (LODR) Regulations, 2015.

Net cigarette revenue rose 25% year-on-year to ₹1,151 crore, compared to ₹921 crore in the same period last year. EBITDA surged 61% to ₹450 crore from ₹279 crore a year ago, reflecting robust operational performance.

In the corresponding period of the last fiscal year, it had logged a profit of ₹476.54 crore, according to a regulatory filing.

The life insurance arm of HDFC Bank recorded an 8.68% YoY surge in its net premium income to ₹25,829.43 crore during the quarter under review, compared to ₹23,765.56 crore in the fourth quarter of the 2024-25 fiscal year (Q4 FY25).

For the 2025-26 financial year (FY26), its assets under management (AUM), including those of its wholly owned subsidiary, HDFV Pension Fund Management, stood at ₹5.3 trillion.

The investment will be made through a preferential issue of equity shares of HDFC Life in one or more tranches.

Life Republic, KPDL’s flagship integrated township project, continued to garner sales demand, contributing 0.37 million sq. ft. of sales in Q4 FY26 and 1.78 million sq. ft. of sales in FY26.